Since when did we become a country of an over-sensitive, raging and intolerant population that can’t even handle a joke? What happened to taking a few below the belt blows made in pure jest? What happened to dissecting sarcasm with our peers when our brain failed us and enjoying satires with a pinch of salt?

Are you trying to tell me that nowadays a joke is funny only as long as you crack it or it makes your crush spill a few fake laughs? Have we become so frigid and shallow that we find it okay for people to go around making rape and life threats to another individual because they made the horrible mistake of cracking a joke? 

And just because one person doesn’t find it funny and decides to take offence, that makes it okay for them to go around abusing and threatening the other with great harm?

© Twitter/VireshSwami12

After the entire Agrima Joshua incident which highlighted how fearless people have become when it comes to publicly abusing another person and promising to harm them, now, comedian Rohan Joshi took to Instagram to share that he is going offline because someone decided to leak his personal phone number and house address, and now, he is constantly receiving abuses and life threats which have forced him to go underground in order to ensure the safety of his family and himself.

© Instagram/Rohan Joshi

I mean, what have we even come to? We cannot even handle a little criticism coming our way? We can’t stand dissent any more? We can’t handle two varying views any more? And above all, we have given up on our sensibilities and human morals in the name of so-called political-religious campaigns?

I’m sorry, but if you are going to play the ‘free country’ card in the name of abuse and lawlessness, then you need to remember that this free country and free speech is just as much someone else’s as it is yours. And before you decide to go around threatening people with death and assault, you must remember you are not above the law.

© Facebook/Sorabh Pant

Unfortunately, comedians like Agrima Joshua and Rohan Joshi aren’t the only ones to have been subjected to public outrage and threats over their jokes. Previously, comedians like Sorabh Pant have spoken up about receiving death threats in person and over social media, because of their takes on some personality or religion or even the society at large. 

When comedian Kunal Kamra decided to voice his opinion about the government and its version of patriotism the only way he knows how (i.e. through jokes), it almost cost him his life. 

These are just a few incidents, but for many comics out there this has been a part of their life for much longer than they let on.

© Facebook/Kunal Kamra

In the light of recent events, comedian Gaurav Kapoor also questioned people’s conscience and made an emotional appeal to his viewers to be a little considerate of their words and actions towards comedians who are just trying to make people laugh, and share a new perspective about things.

In the light of recent events, Comedian and actor Vir Das also took to Twitter to share a ‘pre-apology’ because, obviously, he knows he too would be attacked anytime now and so, to save himself and his loved ones from any sort of emotional or physical harm that may be hurled their way in the future Das decided to apologise in advance. 

#SabkosorryOkBye I have decided to start pre-apologising for my jokes in the wake of what's happening to Indian comedians. Here's my apology video. Should anyone ever need an apology from me in the future, please refer to this video pic.twitter.com/DwoB7IqpMx

This growing sense of hopelessness and fear that is being fed to comedians and dissenters at large, is a reminder that goons and abusers are enjoying a free hand and exploiting the law in the name of safeguarding certain ideologies and self-serving propagandas.

© Twitter/Swara Bhaskar

To call any of it as just 'trolling' isn’t even acceptable anymore because none of this is a passing incident in the life of a public figure/comedian. 

This kind of harassment involving a real threat to life and safety is a glimpse into a future where threat culture not only survives, but also thrives because bystanders were too scared to speak up and call out the culprits. Culprits who have no fear of the law or being penalised but instead, find strength in the belief that they will get away with murder and rape because.

It’s high time we identify, deter and shun culprits like Shubham Mishra, who think it is okay to do whatever they please without fearing the consequences. 

Show these abusers their place and fight back against these faceless monsters before we normalise virtual lynchings just like the actual ones.

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